Food products such as chicken, meats, and fish are often marinated before they are cooked. Marinades are known that add flavor to food products, that prevent the food products from losing moisture during cooking, or that effect the appearance of the cooked product.
Food products such as chicken, meat, and fish may be treated with a marinade before being cooked to minimize moisture loss during cooking, thus providing a juicier cooked product. European Patent 576,276 discloses a food coating to retain fluids in meat during cooking or storage. The coating consists of albumen, milk protein, starch and water. The food coating may also contain edible oil, salt, and unmodified starch. The coated food is heated to partially coagulate the albumen, denature the milk protein, and gelatinise the starch. The heat treated cooked food is then combined with sauces, retorted or vacuum packed, and heated to microbiological stability. The coating enhances fluid retention in the food during its preparation for immediate or subsequent consumption and during storage.
European Patent 643,923 discloses a coating for fish or meat that is a dry particulate mixture of 5-50 weight percent heat set protein and 95-50 weight percent unmodified starch. The ratio of protein to starch is 2-6:10. The protein is egg white protein or albumen and the starch is potato starch. After coating, the meat or fish is cooked, heated to an appropriate internal core temperature, and chilled or deep frozen. The coating enhances moisture retention during food preparation and storage.
It is also known to coat foods in order to impart a certain appearance to the cooked food product, such as a browned appearance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,837 discloses a coating composition for imparting a crisp golden brown surface to foodstuffs cooked in a microwave. The coating includes a blend of bread crumbs and oil, dextrin, pre-gelatanized starch, and soy protein concentrate.
Similarly, Australian Patent 96-70,458 discloses a coating mix composition which when coated onto moistened vegetables imparts a crisp golden brown texture with the taste, texture, and appearance of a fried food coating when the vegetables are baked. The product is neither oily or soggy. The composition includes bread crumbs, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, modified starch, powdered shortening, carbohydrate adhesive, protein, vegetable lecithin, and seasonings.
Marinades that add flavor to food products are also known. A variety of marinades are commercially available to consumers which impart a variety of flavors to chicken, meats, and fish. These marinades typically require that an acidulant like vinegar, wine, or yogurt and oil be added before marinating. Moreover, it is necessary to marinate the food product for several hours or longer before cooking the food.
Currently there is no single marinade that can simultaneously add flavor, retain moisture, and brown the food in a single product. Thus, there remains a need for a marinade of this type so that flavor can be enhanced while the texture and color of the food product after cooking can be maintained. Furthermore, it would be desirable to have a marinade that does not require additional ingredients such as oil, vinegar, wine, or yogurt and does not require that the food product be marinated for a long period of time before cooking. Ideally, the marinade would be a solid powder that could be coated on the food or a liquid that could be sprayed or brushed on the food and would not require the food to be held for a long time prior to cooking. The present invention resolves this need.